A female protester who single-handedly blocked sports organizations that occupy offices at the Olympic Park Handball Arena in Songpa-gu, Seoul, from entering will face a police investigation.
According to police and others on the 17th, the Songpa Police Station plans to launch an investigation into a woman, identified as A, who blocked the sports organizations from entering in front of the Handball Arena's Gate 2-1 the previous day.
In front of the Handball Arena, which was used as the Songpa-gu ballot counting center for the 9th nationwide local elections held simultaneously (June 3 local elections), a protest over a shortage of ballot papers has been ongoing since on the 5th. As the blockade dragged on, organizations housed in the Handball Arena said their work had been paralyzed, and the previous day Jang Dong-hyeok of the People Power Party, the party leader, reached an agreement for entry to the interior.
However, the plan ultimately fell through after A held onto the Gate 2-1 door and resisted for about two hours. Although Jang and nearby protesters urged A to step aside, A argued that preservation procedures for the ballots and ballot boxes inside the Handball Arena should come first.
A stepped away from the door only after the sports organization officials and others left. As of 10 a.m. that day, Gate 2-1 was bound with ropes and blue tape.
A is being called "Oldarque" on conservative-leaning online communities and social media (SNS). It is a portmanteau of Olympic Park and Joan of Arc.